Susan Herbst, master of the level head. Since the realignment balls started juggling and UConn supposedly kept dropping them, observers of Old State U. have engaged in a modern-day witch hunt of the UConn president and athletic director Warde Manuel.

It probably wouldn't have been too long before each was trucked out to the shores of the Connecticut River and tossed in to see if they would float.

There was a sense that Herbst, in particular, was operating in a state of cognitive dissonance. Some believed she didn't get the importance of big-time college athletics and was thus largely ignoring the shifting landscape, intent on turning UConn into a state-run Ivy League school.

And then came Wednesday.

Shortly after she and Manuel appeared on Connecticut's National Public Radio outlet, Herbst issued a letter to fans, donors, alumni, anybody who cared to read it, that she, in fact, gets it. It's just that Herbst is much more level-headed than the rest of us.

In the message, Herbst managed to assuage the fears of fans that UConn is going to be left behind in all this shuffling, hinted there is far more going on in the background than anybody knows and took a nice and necessary swipe at the fear mongers in the media — social, print and electronic.

It was, in a word, perfect.

"I realize that this is aggravating to hear, but as in all things, we can only affect what is in our control," Herbst said in the message." As a result, we strive for excellence at UConn daily across all departments, something very much in our control. We stand tall at UConn and we need not beg, plead, nor despair. That is not who we are, and my reading of our university history — from 1881 to today — conveys the pride of every generation, in good times and bad."

Until now, Herbst has been vilified in all of this. There has been a belief that she and Manuel are sitting back and doing nothing. That is the farthest thing from the truth. She is paying attention.

On Tuesday, ESPN — don't for a second think it doesn't have a large hand in realignment — published a list of the top 10 "realignment free agents." UConn, previously ESPN's No. 1 candidate to replace Maryland in the ACC, was No. 10. Ahead of it were — and try not to laugh — Houston, Temple and SMU.

"I know that it is difficult to read much of the internet content right now about athletics, which seems to be dominated by negativity," Herbst wrote.

"Many bloggers, journalists and even fans from elsewhere would like to see UConn hurt, and hence write with a cynical tone. This flip discourse is again, not in our control. The truth is that this is a top national research university with a terrific athletics program that will flourish, no matter what conference we are in and no matter what the media chatter looks like."

At least some of the media chatter comes from Twitter, which seems to be flooded with nonmedia members who have a second cousin who knows somebody who knows somebody who is a janitor in the building across the street from the UConn campus. Said janitor is referred to as a "source." Hilarity and panic ensue.

This is not a good time for UConn. There is no getting around that. It sits in purgatory right now and might have to deal with whatever is to become of the Big East. It may be for the short term or forever, but a constant wringing of hands and complaining changes nothing.

Herbst made it perfectly clear she isn't going to engage in cynicism or negativity. "I was hired because I'm an optimist, and cannot help being just that," she wrote.

We would do well to take on this approach.

Herbst many times mentioned UConn's status a research university and its strong desire to better an already solid academic reputation. One can choose to read between the lines of that. It could be a slight hint that possible Big Ten membership is looming, though that, to me, is a stretch right now.

However, Herbst is certainly positioning UConn for something. Best and most assuring of all for UConn fans is her decided lack of panic. There is something of substance behind her words. It's just time to sit and wait to see what that substance might be.

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